Seymour B. Everett III

Partner

Biography

Seymour “Sy” Everett, III is a founding partner of Everett Dorey, LLP. Mr. Everett is a leading litigator in California and is routinely retained as trial counsel in complex and challenging cases throughout the state. He represents corporations, non-profits, cities, public agencies, special districts, school districts, police officers and individuals in all aspects of litigation. Cases include catastrophic injuries, asbestos, toxic tort, habitability, mold, general liability, wildland fires, business interference, libel, slander, environmental and administrative compliance. Mr. Everett is an elected member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”), a highly respected national advocacy group dedicated to the preservation of the right to trial by jury. He serves as National Counsel for a major product manufacturer and supplier. Mr. Everett also holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriting (CPCU) designation and is a regular speaker at legal seminars for fortune 500 Companies, Public Entities and Insurance Carriers and is a former adjunct professor at USC School of Law. He is admitted to practice in all courts in California, including United States Federal District Courts. Mr. Everett has argued before numerous Appellate Courts in the State of California and has multiple published decisions.

Professional Experience

Asbestos

National counsel for a manufacturer and wholesale product distributor. Handles the trials and strategic management of their asbestos litigation in numerous states. He represents numerous product defendants and premises defendants. Product defendants include manufacturers, retailers and suppliers of asbestos containing products.

Extensive experience in the defense of claims alleging bodily injuries as a result of exposure to carbon monoxide, lead, silica and fiberglass.

Public Entity/Government Liability

Represent Cities, Public Agencies, School Districts, Police Officers, Public Works and Governmental Agencies in all aspects of litigation. Cases include libel, slander, personal injury and wrongful death actions and administrative compliance. Work closely with Superintendents and Schools Boards on resolving and defending student and third party personal injury claims. Defense of Wildland Fire Claims involving public utilities related to catastrophic property damage, wrongful death, personal injury, environmental, wetlands mitigation and subrogation matters.

Professional Liability

Defense of insurance agents and brokers, real estate agents and brokers and other professionals. An emphasis on standard of care, reporting issues and fiduciary obligations. Clients include independent and direct agents and brokers. Insurance clients include large and small agencies and brokerage firms involved in all lines of property and casualty insurance, including but not limited to, commercial general liability, inland marine, commercial and residential property, farm and crime coverage.

Education/Accreditation

Significant experience representing K-12 school districts, community colleges and universities in all aspects of pre-litigation and litigation, including, personal injury, property damage and construction claims. Work closely with schools in crisis management and escalated response programs. Routinely retained as advisor or consultant in drafting and reviewing proposed contractual language and MOUs, as well as representing districts in fact finding investigations, mediations and settlement conferences. Extensive “Accreditation” experience as litigation counsel and general counsel, including, but not limited to, reviewing, updating and drafting by-laws, conducting investigations, assist with accreditation and compliance investigations, preparation of show cause letters and responding to appeals. Evaluation and investigation of foreign education programs seeking accreditation.

Samantha E. Dorey

Partner

Biography

Samantha E. Dorey is a founding partner of Everett Dorey LLP. She specializes in complex civil litigation with an emphasis in catastrophic injury, public entity defense, mass tort, asbestos litigation and environmental law. Ms. Dorey represents property owners, property managers, cities, and corporations in all aspects of litigation. She also regularly advises clients on non-litigated matters, including development of risk management protocols and procedures related to property management and environmental issues. She has authored numerous published articles, including “A Complex Web of Loyalties: The Tri-Partite Relationship and Cumis Counsel” (Orange County Lawyer, February 2012) and “Public Entities and the Claim Presentation Statute—Accept, Reject, Provide Notice or Do Nothing?” (Orange County Lawyer, July 2016).

Ms. Dorey is an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University School of Law where she teaches a course on litigation strategy and civil procedure in California and federal courts. During law school, Samantha externed for the Honorable Kathleen O'Leary at the California Court of Appeal.

Ms. Dorey serves as co-chair of the Public Law Center Advocates, which provides advocacy, fundraising, volunteerism, and marketing for the Public Law Center’s pro bono legal services.

Ashley Anderson

Associate

Biography

Ashley C. Anderson is an associate in the Orange County office of Everett Dorey LLP. Ms. Anderson graduated magna cum laude from Chapman University Fowler School of Law, where she served as an articles editor of the Chapman Law Review. During law school, Ms. Anderson was an extern to the Honorable Richard D. Fybel, Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. She also participated in the Constitutional Jurisprudence Clinic, drafting amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States, for which she received the Clinical Legal Education Association’s Outstanding Student Award. Ms. Anderson received numerous other honors while in law school, including attaining the highest grade in Legal Research and Writing II and Constitutional Law and the Golden Gavel Award for Oral Advocacy. She was also an active member of the law school community and served as president of the St. Thomas More Society.

Before law school, Ms. Anderson graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Latin American Studies and Spanish.

Jonathan W. Cayton

Associate

Biography

Jonathan Cayton is an associate in the Orange County office of Everett Dorey. Jonathan previously worked as a City Attorney in the litigation department for one of the largest municipalities in California. He has significant experience as a trial attorney prosecuting cases on behalf of public entities. In addition, Jonathan has extensive experience representing private entities in litigated and pre-litigation matters. Jonathan specializes in public entity, general liability, asbestos, chemical exposure and mass tort litigation.

Jonathan is an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University School of Law where he instructs Mock Trial, Moot Court, and Alternative Dispute Resolution teams. During law school, he clerked with the Orange County District Attorney. Prior to law school he served in the United States Marine Corps.

Diana T. Chao

SENIOR COUNSEL

Biography

Diana Chao is a litigation attorney with extensive experience in all facets of litigation. Her innovative case handling has benefited clients in pre-litigated and litigated matters. Ms. Chao's practice focuses on complex and catastrophic injuries, insurance coverage, public entity and mass tort litigation. She also provides risk management services, focusing on transfer and elimination of risk. She is admitted to practice in all courts in California, including United States Federal District Courts.

Prior to law school, Ms. Chao graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies. Ms. Chao earned her Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law. While in law school, she was a board member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Ms. Chao also participated in the AMVETS Clinic and the Family Violence Clinic during which time she successfully represented military veterans and victims of domestic violence. Ms. Chao is a member of the firm’s Diversity Leadership Committee, Recruiting Committee and speaks conversational Vietnamese.

Kevin Hernandez

Associate

Biography

Kevin Hernandez is an associate in the Orange County office of Everett Dorey and a member of the General Liability Practice. He specializes in defending corporate clients in general liability matters, including personal injury claims and landlord-tenant disputes. He also handles and provides advice and counsel on school-accreditation matters. Kevin also has experience representing clients in special education matters. Kevin attended UCLA School of Law as a recipient of the Simon Endowment Fund Scholarship. During law school, he clerked with Orange County Counsel and the Los Angeles Community College District and gained experience with juvenile dependency and education law.

Prior to attending law school, Kevin was a general and special education teacher. He has taught in underserved public charter schools in New York City with Teach For America and a private school in Orange County. Kevin earned his Masters of Science in General and Special Education at Bank Street College of Education in New York City while teaching full time.

Kevin enjoys spending his free time with his family. He also volunteers as a board member of TEACH Public Schools in Los Angeles, California.

Te'Aira Law

Associate

Biography

Te’Aira Law is a senior associate in Everett Dorey’s Orange County office, where her practice is focused on general liability, toxic tort, asbestos, environmental and product liability matters, with a specialty in complex tort litigation. She is skilled in all aspects of litigation, including law and motion practice, mediation, arbitration, and trial practice. Te’Aira is a skilled litigator having completed the rigorous LACBA Trial Advocacy Project and the CAALA Trial Lawyer Skills Seminar. Prior to joining the firm, Te’Aira’s practice focused on general civil litigation and catastrophic injuries.

Te’Aira received her law degree from the University of Southern California, where she received numerous honors including the prestigious Hale Moot Court Brief. In law school, she was involved in a variety of student organizations and community outreach, including the Black Law Students Association and served as the 3L Advisor and Community Outreach Coordinator. She graduated from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Spanish.

Auriel Matin

ASSOCIATE

Biography

Auriel Matin is an attorney at Everett Dorey's Orange County office where her practice is focused on general liability and the defense of property owners and corporations in complex civil litigation. Ms. Matin earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. While in law school, Ms. Matin served in a variety of student leadership organizations and community outreach programs, including Women in Law and the First Year Law Students Mentoring Program. Ms. Matin graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Jesse Maxwell

Associate

Biography

Jesse Maxwell is an associate in Everett Dorey’s Orange County office. His practice focuses on the defense of business owners corporations in complex civil litigation with an emphasis on general liability, public entity, mass tort, and catastrophic injury. Mr. Maxwell received his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, with a concentration in corporate law. While at Loyola, he was a member of the Transactional Negotiation Team and finished as a semi-finalist in Loyola’s Negotiations Tournament. Mr. Maxwell attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Maxwell’s practice focused on complex commercial litigation. He also has experience in representing creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

Bree A. Oswald

Associate

Biography

Bree is an associate in Everett Dorey’s Orange County office, where she focuses on complex civil litigation, including catastrophic injury, products liability, toxic torts, environmental law, mass torts, and public entity work. She also advises public and private entities on risk management and environmental regulatory issues.

Bree is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine School of Law. While in law school, Bree co-founded both the Veterans Advocacy Society and the Veterans Clinic. Bree also served as a staff editor of the UC Irvine Law Review and participated in the Environmental Law Clinic. She has completed over two hundred hours of pro bono legal service volunteering at numerous organizations, including at the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton and through the VA Appeals Pro Bono Project at UCI Law. In her first year of law school, Bree was a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge Arthur Alarcón of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to law school, Bree graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Irvine, earning a bachelor's degree in Criminology, Law, and Society.

James C. Truxaw

Associate

Biography

James is an attorney at Everett Dorey’s Orange County office where his practice is focused on general liability and toxic tort matters. He specializes in the defense of developers, property owners and corporations in complex civil litigation. James graduated from University California Davis School of Law. During law school, James excelled in the classroom, receiving numerous awards, including the CEB Award, ranking number 1 for appellate brief writing and the prestigious Witkin Award for outstanding legal research and writing. While in law school, James was also an Executive Editor for the UC Davis Law Review.

James also gained valuable practical experience by participating in externships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District and serving as a Law Clerk for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Special Prosecutions Unit. Prior to law school, James graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.

Laura Williams

ASSOCIATE

Biography

Laura Williams practices in a wide variety of complex civil litigation matters, including general liability, toxic torts, asbestos, mold, product liability, personal injury, habitability and catastrophic injury. Ms. Williams takes pride in fiercely representing her clients both in and out of court, and has experience in all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts.

During law school, Ms. Williams represented Pepperdine University at the 7th Annual International Chamber of Commerce International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris, France, where her team placed in the top sixteen. While completing her undergraduate studies at UPENN she was the Captain of the Varsity Volleyball team and became the fourth player in program history to record over 1,000 career kills.